I am athletic and one of those people who have never worried about my weight too much. But in the past year I’ve added almost ten pounds to my frame, without eating any more than usual. In fact, I’ve been working out more often but this muffin top isn’t budging. Could it be hormonal? What do my hormones have to do with weight gain, or having a tough time losing it?

Hormones are really basic – fundamental and essential! — to our health and longevity, and when they are out of balance we are out of balance, both mentally and physically. It is very difficult to maintain a normal weight if an undetected hormone imbalance is silently undermining our efforts.

So if you're suddenly sporting a muffin top, hormone imbalance may be the culprit!

In perimenopause all sorts of symptoms associated with the imbalances of fluctuating hormones can start to appear, and sometimes it feels like we put on pounds just looking at a sweet roll. Women in menopause may be depressed and frustrated that they can’t lose weight as easily as they used to, or have immovable belly fat they never had before. The same applies to younger women who can have hormone imbalances because of poor diet, lack of sleep, and a highly stressful or unbalanced lifestyle.

Hormone testing can identify one or more hormone imbalances that may be contributing to your stubborn weight gain. If that’s the case, lifestyle changes, supplements or safe bioidentical hormone therapy can help you rebalance and restore optimal hormone levels so you can begin to shed weight and feel great about your body again!